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<title>Lavender-Inked Silence by sunlight-and-storms (all_i_see_is_sky)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27649582">Lavender-Inked Silence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_i_see_is_sky/pseuds/sunlight-and-storms'>sunlight-and-storms (all_i_see_is_sky)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, there's like one (1) curse word but i'm rating it T anyway, this is purely fluff i'm definitely not sorry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:21:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27649582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_i_see_is_sky/pseuds/sunlight-and-storms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One thing never changes, though- he and Keefe are always in the same class, and they always grade each other’s work.<br/>It’s more a decision than a teacher-mandated thing. Peer grading isn’t fun by any measure, but they can trust each other not to judge. And it’s nice, having a little note to look at before he goes home and has to explain to his father why he only got a 95 on the science test.<br/>(Keefe keeps all these notes in a box under his bed, ripping them out of tests and rereading them when he can’t sleep. He’s not quite sure why, but they help.)<br/>(There are quite a lot of notes, over the years.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keefe Sencen/Fitz Vacker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lavender-Inked Silence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i got this prompt on tumblr and loved it so much so here is 1.8k of Keefitz friends-to-lovers fluff </p><p>huge thanks to E for being such a wonderful genius</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(Sometimes, there are words that can’t be understood.)</p><p>Spelling tests are, in Keefe’s opinion, the worst thing in the world. </p><p>Some words are easy; “fan”, for example, or “kitten”. They’re written exactly how they sound, so Keefe has no problem with them. It’s only with others that he gets tripped up, the extra vowels and unnecessary consonants, combined with Keefe’s terrible spelling, twisting words into unrecognizable shapes. </p><p>The worst part is, he <em> knows </em>most of these words- he’s seen them in books his father has made him read. He can see the letters in his mind, can see the definition of the word. When he tries to write them down, though, it turns into something completely different. </p><p>“Neither,” the teacher says, walking slowly around the room. “Neither. ‘Not the one nor the other of two people or things; not either’. Neither.”</p><p><em> Niether, </em> Keefe writes, then scribbles it out and changes it to <em> netheir. </em>That doesn’t look right either, but the teacher has already moved on. </p><p>“All right, last one,” she calls as Keefe adds a bill and tiny feet to the duck he’s doodled earlier. “Beer. ‘An alcoholic drink made from yeast-fermented malt flavored with hops.’ Beer.”</p><p>To be quite honest, Keefe is pretty sure he knows how to spell <em> beer </em> . Although, with everything he’s learned about spelling, it’s very possible there’s another vowel in there somewhere. Maybe an <em> a?  </em></p><p>But that would be <em> bear </em>, and time’s running out. </p><p><em> Baer, </em>he scribbles down just as the teacher comes to collect his paper. She gives it a cursory glance, raising an eyebrow in an expression that reminds Keefe of his father. “We’ll be partner-grading these,” she says cooly. “So when you get someone else’s test, I’ll put the answers on the board and you can mark which ones are wrong.”</p><p>Keefe sighs a little, tapping the edge of his desk with his pencil. He’s positive he got almost everything wrong, and now one of his classmates will know too. </p><p>Figures. </p><p>He corrects the (few) errors on the test he’s given angrily, not even glancing at the name on the top until he’s done. When he does, his stomach drops a little. </p><p><em> Fitzroy A. Vacker, </em> the signature at the top reads. Fitz; one of the best students in their class, so well known he can’t walk down the hall without being high-fived. And if Keefe has <em> his </em>test, that means-</p><p>“Here you go.” Keefe’s test drops back onto his desk, the other boy appearing next to him. Wordlessly, Keefe hands him his test. Fitz nods and walks back to his seat, and Keefe picks up the paper. </p><p>It’s not as bad as he was expecting. He made a lot of mistakes, true- apparently beer is <em> not, </em> in fact, spelled with an <em> a- </em>but there are no rude comments. Just corrections made in light purple pen. </p><p>And in the corner, next to Keefe’s halfhearted doodle of a duck, is a little note. </p><p><em> I like your drawing, </em> it says, and then, <em> you’re a really good artist.  </em></p><p>
  <em> You’re a really good artist.  </em>
</p><p>No one’s ever said that to Keefe. Art isn’t a thing he’s good at, because it’s not a thing he does for fun- it’s not a thing he’s <em> allowed </em>to do for fun. </p><p>But here, out of the blue, this compliment from someone he barely knows because he drew a stupid duck.</p><p>Keefe stares at the paper and smiles. </p><p>(He doesn’t know, not yet. But this, in the form of a lavender-inked note on a spelling test, is the start of something amazing.)</p><hr/><p>He doesn’t talk to Fitz, of course. That would be stupid. They’re not friends, so no matter how much he’d like to thank the other boy, he doesn’t. He stays silent, keeps to himself, doesn’t ask his father to arrange a playdate. (Father would be overjoyed if he asked. That’s probably why Keefe doesn't.)  </p><p>No, he doesn’t do anything until they have a math quiz.</p><p>Keefe is actually pretty good at math. Addition and subtraction have always come easy to him, so he breezes through the questions and is done with time to spare. When Fitz’s quiz lands on his desk again, he’s barely even surprised; they’ll probably just be partnered up for the rest of the year. </p><p>He <em> is </em> surprised, though, when the grade comes out to an 85/100. Not bad, but not <em> good </em>either; certainly not what Keefe would have expected for everyone’s favorite Golden Boy.</p><p>But then he remembers the way his father had sneered when he’d come home with his spelling test. The hours he’d had to study on a subject he didn’t understand, words swimming in front of his eyes.</p><p>Everyone’s bound to have one bad subject. Maybe this is Fitz’s. </p><p>So Keefe puts a little <em> :) </em> next to the grade, writing <em> great job! </em>before standing up and handing it off to Fitz. The other boy looks at the paper, his face scrunching up as he reads the grade then melting into surprise when he sees the note. </p><p>“Thanks,” he says, looking up at Keefe. “You too.”</p><p>(Sometimes, there are words that can’t be understood. Things that can’t be said out loud for fear of breaking them.) </p><p>(But Fitz’s smile, right then, speaks volumes.)</p><hr/><p>By third grade, Fitz has switched to using a sky blue pen, and by fifth, he’s writing with green. One thing never changes, though- he and Keefe are always in the same class, and they always grade each other’s work. </p><p>It’s more a decision than a teacher-mandated thing. Peer grading isn’t fun by any measure, but they can trust each other not to judge. And it’s nice, having a little note to look at before he goes home and has to explain to his father why he only got a 95 on the science test. </p><p>(Keefe keeps all these notes in a box under his bed, ripping them out of tests and rereading them when he can’t sleep. He’s not quite sure why, but they help.)</p><p>(There are quite a lot of notes, over the years.)</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>CHEMICAL CHANGES QUIZ: Fitzroy A. Vacker, Class 302</b>
</p><p><em> 98/100. Pretty sure a flame test isn’t setting something on fire, but good job anyway! I drew you a flower </em> <em> in compinsashun </em> <em> so you would feel better. -Keefe </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Basic Fractions Worksheet: Keefe S, Class 401 </b>
</p><p>
  <em> 100/100! You’re so good at math. -Fitz </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Exports &amp; Taxation in the American Revolution: Fitz Vacker, Class 503</b>
</p><p>
  <em> This was really good! I couldn’t stop laughing at the sentence “the colonists rebelled by throwing tea in the ocean”, though. -Keefe </em>
</p><p> </p><p>(And there are others, too, not written on schoolwork; tiny messages scrawled in the margin of a sheet of paper and folded into a tight square.)</p><p> </p><p>(Blue ones.)</p><p>
  <em> I passed the principal on my way to class. She’s… not happy. Did you really cover her office in paint? -F </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> They have no proof. -K </em>
</p><p> </p><p>(Green ones.)</p><p>
  <em> Hey, can you come over this afternoon? -K </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Yeah, sure. What’s up? -F </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I just… I don't want to be alone with my parents. They’re always… nicer. When you’re around. -K </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ok. -F </em>
</p><p> </p><p>(And in eighth grade, when Fitz has run out of different colors of pens and is back to lavender, there are purple ones.)</p><p>
  <em> Are you going to Stina’s party next weekend? -F </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I might. If you’re there. -K </em>
</p><p> </p><p>(Sometimes, there are words that can’t be understood. Things that can’t be said out loud for fear of breaking them. Of breaking yourself.) </p><p>(There are a lot of messages. None of them mean much.)</p><p>(Keefe keeps them anyway.)</p><hr/><p>The house is packed, people laughing and whooping over the loud music. The lights are flashing, there’s something suspiciously bitter in the punch, and almost everyone here is a stranger. </p><p>Keefe’s been at this party for five minutes. He already regrets coming. </p><p>In the crowd, someone lets out a high shout. Fitz flinches slightly at Keefe’s side, taking a step closer to the other boy. </p><p>“You want to get out of here?” Keefe murmurs in his ear. Fitz nods and they turn towards the door. </p><p>The diner they stop at on the way home is bright, but the lights are constant and the slowly rotating cheesecake in the display case is as familiar as it is inedible. Keefe breathes a sigh of relief. “That was terrible,” he says, taking a seat at the counter. Fitz laughs. </p><p>“It really was, wasn’t it? I think most of the people there were highschoolers.”</p><p>Keefe nods, thanking the man behind the bar who’s handed him a burger. Fitz is drinking a strawberry milkshake.</p><p>“Honestly, I don’t want to go to high school if that’s what people are like.”</p><p>Fitz raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think you have much of a choice there, unfortunately.”</p><p>“Eh, I don’t know.” Keefe takes a bite of his burger, chewing thoughtfully. “I could always just get held back a year. Wouldn’t be too hard, with my track record.”</p><p>Fitz laughs again, bright and happy under the fluorescent lights. Keefe watches him, watches the way his eyes crinkle at the corners, the way his nose scrunches up. He’s beautiful. </p><p><em> Beautiful. </em> Where did that come from? </p><p>(Sometimes, there are words that can’t be understood. Things that can’t be said out loud for fear of breaking them. Of breaking yourself. Sometimes there are realizations under bright-bright lights that you can never say.)</p><p>
  <em> Beautiful. </em>
</p><p>Hmm. </p><p>Shit. </p><hr/><p>As it turns out, being in love with your best friend isn’t as hard as it sounds. </p><p>Keefe hasn’t managed to get rid of his feelings, by tenth grade, but he’s managed to ignore them. Ignore the way his gut clenches whenever Fitz grins at him, ignore the flush that appears on his cheeks whenever their hands brush. Ignore, ignore, and hope Fitz ignores too. </p><p>There’s less peer-grading in high school. Tests and projects are more important now, so the teachers grade them in most of his classes. </p><p>Except in Spanish, because apparently the teacher just doesn’t care.</p><p>Keefe marks the last incorrect verb conjugation on Fitz’s test, doodling a tiny heart in the paper’s margin and handing the paper to the boy sitting across the aisle from him. Fitz glances at it, eyes narrowing slightly. Keefe knows that look- that’s his <em> determined </em> look. </p><p>He’s not quite sure why Fitz would have something to prove right now, though. He scored a solid 97. Unless-</p><p>Shaking his head, Keefe forcefully directs that train of thought.</p><p>It comes crashing back in just a second when Fitz hands him his graded test. </p><p><em> 100! </em> It says at the top in purple pen. <em> Do you want to get dinner with me?  </em></p><p>Keefe glances up and towards the other boy, who’s staring at the board as if it contains the secrets of the universe instead of the quiz answers. With shaking fingers, he writes a single word and passes the paper back. </p><p>(Sometimes, there are words that can’t be understood. Things that can’t be said out loud for fear of breaking them. Of breaking yourself. Sometimes there are realizations under bright-bright lights that you can never say.)</p><p>(And sometimes, there are notes written in multicolored pens, years and years of silent conversations. A message on top of a Spanish quiz that promises something amazing. Sometimes, there is a word, unspoken but still heard.)</p><p>
  <em> Yes.  </em>
</p><p>(Sometimes, a lavender-inked note isall you need.)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments are love!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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